French hospitality giant Accor has announced the launch of an investigation amid accusations of exploitation and child trafficking by US-based short seller Grizzly Research.
"At this stage, and following the publication of this report, the group is conducting a detailed internal investigation and has hired an external firm to verify the cited facts," said Accor in a statement. "The conclusions of these verifications will be made public."
According to Reuters, Grizzly reported that it sent specific reservation requests "designed to raise human trafficking red flags" to nearly 250 Accor hotels, and about 40 complied with these requests. Reuters said it could not independently verify the report's allegations.
Accor’s statement, which was issued on Thursday (19 March), said it has prioritised fighting against human trafficking and exploitation of children through employee training, "stringent policies and processes", as well as regular internal audits. It added that the last internal audit was completed in 2025.